General information: Primal spiders consider them-selves the master arachnids. They believe they are the primogenitors of all other spiders. They are tyrannical, paranoid, hateful, despairing, and destructive. Other creatures live to serve or as feed. They are always surrounded by such servants, and any arachnid of less than average intelligence obeys their every command without hesitation, as primal spiders know and speak the language of eight legs. This includes spiders, solifugae, scorpions, whip scorpions, mites, and ticks. A primal spider can control 300 HD of unintelligent arachnids, along with 30 HD of intelligent arachnids at a single time before some will start to wander off, unaffected by the spider’s commands.

Primal spiders are hermaphrodites, and they hate one another with the vastness of the sea. Mating only happens after one spider defeats another in combat and impregnates the weaker. If the weaker survives and recovers, it lays 2-20 eggs in an egg sac it keeps attached to its body. Upon hatching, the parent spider eats all but the first four hatchlings. The hatchlings flee quickly and grow into full-sized primal spiders after 50 years. During the young stage they have 4 HD, but all other abilities are the same as an adult’s. In addition to continuing the species, primal spiders can choose to create egg sacs, containing 2-20 of any type of arachnid, at will. These lesser creatures hatch in 2 weeks and are representative of their species in all ways.

Primal spiders combine the abilities of many different types of spiders. They can weave webs as complex and intricate as an orb weaver, they can hunt and jump like the tarantula they superficially resemble, but they mostly prefer to live in large underground complexes lined with silk and filled will servants and food. They have two poison types, which they can vary at will. One causes death and the other paralyzes for 10 turns. Saves against a primal spider’s poison are made at -2. The molt remains of a primal spider are desired by assassins throughout the world, as adding the charred remains increases the effectiveness of any poison, reducing saves against it by -2.

Primal spiders have darkvision to 120 ft. and possess excellent senses. They can detect hidden or invisible creatures within 50 ft., and they can instill the fear of death in all enemies within 50 ft. at will, acting much like the fear spell. Saving against spells negates this effect, but affected creatures flee as fast as possible from the primal spider for 8 rounds and have a base 50% chance of dropping any held items (reduced by 5% per level of the fleeing creature to a minimum of 5%). Creatures with greater than 6 HD save at +1 for every HD beyond 6. A creature that has successfully saved against the spider’s fear is immune to that spider’s fear for 24 hours.

Primal spiders use phantasmal magic at the 5th level of ability possessing four 1st, two 2nd, and one 3rd level spell per day. They enjoy collecting phantasmal spell books and scrolls, sending out their minions to acquire such when information concerning a local illusionist reaches them. Such acquisitions are hostile ones, of course. They are immune to illusion/phantasm magic and have 10% magic resistance to other magic.

Languages: Primal spiders speak common and the true language of eight legs.

Physical description: Primal spiders superficially resemble tarantulas in build. Their fur is black as pitch with tips pure white. When fully extended, they cover a diameter of 12 feet. They are capable of squeezing through small openings that a medium-sized humanoid could pass through without difficulty.

A lavishly illuminated work, the flowers of the Landtides seem to have jumped onto the pages of this identification manual. Compiled by the notoriously difficult-to-work-with Bap Barblyt, A Floral Guide to the Landtide Hills is the most comprehensive book on the subject.

More from the upcoming ZZZ Quick Guide to North America Below the Shattered Moon. GTSL means Government, Technology, Safety, Liberty with 0 being least and 9 most. This keys the map found on the back cover of the Sorcery & Super Science! core rules.

The Granite Alliance of Greater Merrimack is an alliance of smaller settlements with the Merrimack Valley. Their Live Free or Die motto stretches back to before the cracking of the moon, and the alliance has recently declared war with The Clan of the Claw for the Clan’s claiming of the ruins of Concord as clan territory. What exactly this entails for the future is unknown, but since the election of the famed Eduardo Alcayaga as Warmaster General, the prospects for the enslaved muties on the other side of the border most assuredly have improved.

Currently the communities of The Granite Alliance are busily fortifying their settlements that abut the Merrimac River, as there is great fear that the lobster men will travel up the river and attack from the water. Although this has happened often along the coast in Clan of the Claw territory, some muties speculate that the lobstermen cannot travel such great distances in freshwater.

Those traveling in The Granite Alliance can expect to pay a high price to enter a settlement. The muties here ask a lot from a visitor before allowing them the safety of their communities. From several of our ZZZ writers’ experience, tinned pineapple or other tropical fruit is particularly well-received as payment.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Yep! #16 of our series of adventures suitable for 1st Edition gaming is out at Your Games Now and at rpgnow. Shortly it'll be available at Paizo and E23. It's the 6th adventure in the Advanced Adventures line written by James C. Boney. The beautiful cover is one of Peter Mullen's finest, IMO. Under Shattered Mountain is An OSRIC(tm) module designed for 5-8 adventures of levels 9-12. It should come out in print form in about a month.

Shattered Mountain... an evil landmark looming over the countryside. In ages past, the mountain roared as a volcano and rendered the surrounding area uninhabitable, and then suddenly went quiet. Centuries later, investigation by adventurers revealed the volcano’s core to be mysteriously sealed off, although large tunnels appeared to meander through the ground underneath. In time, various creatures made those tunnels their homes, though few dared to strike out into the populated areas due to the champions which defended civilization.

However, things have recently changed for the worse; soothsayers for leagues around now say a devil lives under the mountain. Could such be true, or is it only the nattering of those too timid to delve beneath the shattered mountain?

A new race and destiny. Thanks to Bat for the inspiration and co-writing.

Vat-Born
The vat-born are cloned augmented humans from before the shattering of the moon. Their vats have been scattered and buried across the globe by the breaking of time, and as each vat is exposed to the air, a new vat-born is freed. There are very few vat-born, as the majority perish within the first few days after leaving their birth vat. Vat-born possess the following benefits:

• It Always Works: Vat-born have no chance of failing a racial tech conflict.
• Slowing the Sands of Time: All Vat-born possesses the Long-Lived highlight. If this is rolled during the Highlight process of character creation the lifespan of a vat-born is increased to 300+ years.
• Purity of Flesh: Vat-born have no mutations.
• Scarless: Vat-Born have superior bodies, possessing Regeneration (Ultra) and +1 to all rolls against toxins.
• I Remember Now: Vat-Born are always Strangers.
• Ability Modifiers: Vat-Born gain +2 to all primary abilities.

StrangerThe first thing I remember is waking up to a shrill, incessant beep. The dim green glow of a single fading light illuminated the many small tubes that traveled in and out of my body. Barely conscious, I watched the tubes self-detach and fall with a soft clang upon the metal floor of my metal coffin. A red seam formed above my head and the coffin split open with great force. I crawled out, naked and groggy, into a world filled with nightmares. With a strange sense of detachment, I found myself assessing the situation and I quickly armed myself and built a shelter, even though I had no memory of learning those skills. The next day I returned to my coffin and found it mostly encased in the hard soil of the area. Inscribed within it was the message “You are born to Serve.”

Strangers are cloned elite soldiers from before the shattering of the moon who have managed to survive past the first few days after crawling out of their vats. Using their physical toughness and extensive knowledge, strangers are gifted survivors under the shattered moon. Strangers possess the following benefits:

• Born with a Steering Wheel in Hand: Strangers are natural drivers, adding +2 to any conflict rolls regarding piloting or operating a vehicle.
• Commanding Presence: Strangers can be intimidating and intense and add +1 to all socially-oriented conflicts.
• Past Knowledge: Strangers receive a +2 to all skill set conflicts excepting those dealing with sorcerous subjects or artifacts.
• Polyglot: All strangers are literate and fluent in 4 languages.
• Deadeye: Strangers receive a +1 to Combat conflicts.

At creation, a Stranger possesses the following skills at (Basic) 2: Knowledge of Biology, Knowledge of Chemistry, Knowledge of Electricity, Knowledge of Materials, and Knowledge of Mechanics. A Stranger possesses the following skills at (Intermediate) 2: Animal Husbandry, Farming. A Stranger also possesses the following skills at (Advanced) 1: Operation of Computers, and Operation of Tech. In addition, a Vat-Born Human possesses the following skills at (Ultra) 1: Item Identification, Operation of Vehicles and Operation of Weapons and Armor.

A Stranger has 2 thresholds and 4 ranks with which to customize his skill list. For example, he could choose to spend 2 thresholds to possess Operation of Computers (Ultra) 1 and Operation of Tech (Ultra) 1 and spend 4 ranks to possess Item Identification (Ultra) 3 and Operation of Vehicles (Ultra) 2 and Operation of Weapons and Armor (Ultra) 2.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Suzi and I are in a cabin in the mountains somewhere southwest of Asheville, North Carolina. A bunch of us are staying until Monday and so far much drinking and gaming has commenced. Last night's game was an Old-School Hack game that I found quite enjoyable. It's quite a bit different than its inspiration source - meaning that it's far from a clone, but it does have the quick and easy flow of said source.

Ours was a more humorous-oriented game. I played a barbarian that wore only a loincloth made from his own beard. As a weapon, he used the mummified corpse of his father as a giant club. Can't get more barbaric than that, eh? Ended up that good-ol' dad got brought back to unlife due a surge of necromantic energy, but he was still ok with being used as a weapon. Even if he did complain that I wasn't fighting very well.

I've been focusing on the White Russians as my drink of choice in honor of The Dude, who is quoted in Advanced Adventures #15: Stonesky Delve. Yeah, have fun finding that Easter egg. :)

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Creatures Below the Shattered Moon - Volume 2 is now available at Your Games Now and rpgnow. It will shortly appear at Paizo and e23, probably tomorrow. Volume 2 features 16 more critters appropriate for S&SS games.

And some more from the upcoming ZZZ Quick Guide to North America Below the Shattered Moon. GTSL means Government, Technology, Safety, Liberty with 0 being least and 9 most. This keys the map found on the back cover of the Sorcery & Super Science! core rules.

Remember all those PSA announcements wherein one would write to Pueblo, Colorado? :)

61. The Library
Wizard State: The Librarian
GTSL: 7822

Founded over a hundred years ago by The Librarian, the Library is a state built around a gigantic underground facility storing vast amounts of information. Few are allowed to enter The Library complex beyond the common areas, but knowledge is paramount, and those willing to donate a book to The Library are given temporary passes. The Librarian hasn’t been seen this past decade, spending all his time underground, but his state apparatus functions without his direct intervention. The ruins of ancient Pueblo and Colorado Springs have been raided many times and present little opportunity for scavengers. If you have a question that needs answering, The Library is probably the best place under the Shattered Moon to find the answer.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Here's a critter from the upcoming Creatures Below the Shattered Moon - Volume 2. Got the inspiration for this one from a Kamandi comic book. It also hints that there's stuff going on on the moon in Sorcery & Super Science! Which there is, but I haven't said anything about it yet.

Description & Information: Hailing from the moon, and made of some weird sort of yellow rock, carapaced moondogs look like a mix between a massively overgrown pit bull and an ankylosaurus sans tail club. This quadruped is a bright yellow color, and waves of heat travel along its powerful body. It is an aggressive hunter, releasing blasts of heat before closing for the kill.

Limited Use Powers
• Fire Bolt(2 per day): This fierce bolt of fire does +10 damage and a +4/ rank 8 electricity combat condition.
• Firestorm (1 per week): Used only when desperate, a firestorm deals 10 points of heat damage to all creatures within 30 feet of the carapaced moondog. Additionally, the moondog is healed an equal amount of Health damage. Using this requires spending 10 Fortune.

Description & Information: The wolf has managed to thrive under the shattered moon, being clever, quick, and social animals. Packs range in size from 11 members up to massive packs of 40 members (2-11 adults, 6-16 juveniles, 3-13 yearlings). Yearlings do not fight and flee when attacked.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Been doing a lot of work on the ZZZ Quick Guide and on Characters as well as more Objects, so I think I'll post a non-Sorcery & Super Science creation. Number 22 in the Tome of Tomes series. If you need some NPC names, just mine the Tome of Tomes tag and there's a score or so of useful names. One day I should talk about my "Old-School Naming Convention" that I almost exclusively use for all my names. Hrm.. that could be a fun little post.

One of the first comprehensive demographics study of humankind in the more civilized temperate lands, Rottacks Auldfarren studied birth and death rates, infant mortalities, ethnicities, and life expectancies. A book filled with detailed, in-depth and generally tedious information, it is rarely read from cover to cover. Thankfully for the many who have utilized the work, it possesses an excellent index allowing a reader to quickly find needed information.

Like many people, I've always been entranced by the illustration of Emirikol the Chaotic in the DMG. I've just found out that the background was based upon a street in Rhodes called Street of the Knights. Thanks to the Bat in the Attic blog and the commenter there called pseckler13.

Renowned for their griffon knowledge, the Monks of Merrin’s Griffon Grimoire provides insightful guides to the combat, capture, training, and raising of griffons of all sorts; including the agile white-tipped and the fierce great golden. An entire section of the work is dedicated to the physiology of the griffon and how it relates to the physiology of the lion and eagle.

Reading and digesting the contents of this book requires a month’s time. After this time the reader may train a griffon for riding even if they never have before. In addition, in combat against a griffon, the reader is treated as if his AC was 1 better, as he is well aware of griffon combat and hunting tactics. Finally, access to this work allows a griffon trainer to reduce total training time by two weeks.

Most copies of The Griffon Grimoire include the 2nd level magic user spell charm griffon. The spell works as charm monster, but only affects griffons.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Here's one of the 5 NPCs featured in the upcoming Characters Below the Shattered Moon, Volume 1. CBtSM vol 1, should come out in PDF late next week. It features 5 fleshed-out NPCs, a new race, 2 new destinies (the Spirit Rider posted earlier is one of them), and a butt-load 50+ of commoners to make the GM's job that much easier. I've added an illustration below of the party Incantaros leads. He's the oh-so-mysterious one on the left. :)

A master of illusion, Incantaros is a seasoned adventurer and not a sorcerer to be trifled with. He has spent almost 20 years wandering under the shattered moon, and has experience in the ruins and deathlands of eastern North America. Incantaros relies heavily upon his illusions and prefers to travel alone, but recently has found friendship and camaraderie among a group of much younger explorers who look to him for leadership: something he is not entirely comfortable with, but has accepted regardless. Incantaros has named his newly-found band, The Hand of Fate, and they’re beginning to make a name for themselves. Incantaros favors an enchanted long robe that covers most of his body and makes him harder to identify, for he has a secret in his past he would rather remain there.

Conceptually, A Magical Society: India should be very different than A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe. Many of us have played distinctively quasi-European games for most of our lives. These games were more based upon literary, movie, and comic book sources than on real history, but they still featured knights in plate traversing lands looking not that dissimilar to Britain, France, or Germany while eating cheese, meat, milk, and crusty breads. Surely, there were jaunts into jungles and deserts, but those were not the standard terrain, they were the spice on a relatively Western European game.

India's significantly different. Size-wise, it's about 3/4th the size of the European area when you include Pakistan and Bangladesh, and in terms of cultural diversity, it's similar, if perhaps not greater. Compared to what most gamers are familiar with, food is different, politics is different, and religion is massively different - but actually more similar to what the bog-standard game assumes in terms of multiple deities.

What this means is that more time is going to be needed covering the basics, as the basics are less familiar to the average reader than the basics of a medieval Britain or France. Some things not directly covered in MMS;WE (such as food) need to be covered in MS:I. The overall view of the work will be a bit skewed from the prior one, but I think in a way more appropriate to subject and the reader.

Oh, and because I can, if one think's India's a big subject, try Africa. I know I should probably split India into parts, but I'm not going to for ease of use. Africa, on the other hand, I feel like I do with Asia - it's too big for one book. Hell, technically, Europe's just an Asian peninsula, but don't tell the Europeans. :)

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

As some of you may know, Expeditious Retreat Press first started out back in 2003 with A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe, a book about how to design a medieval-esque background for your game. We won a lot of awards for that book and last night I got hit with the bug to start a new book about how to add an Indian background to your game.

Suzi and I have traveled to India twice, once for 6 weeks and a second time for about 4 months. Its a place both of us love: crazy, beautiful, ugly, amazing. It will bowl you over. I think I've been missing it a bit lately, and I saw Daily Life in Ancient India on the shelf and I just got inspired to write the new Magical Society book. We've toyed with the idea several times, but Magical Society books are a bitch-and-a-half to write as they take a lot of time and effort to do right.

So, now I have to begin the reading on the period. I've read quite a bit already, but it's one thing to read for personal understanding and quite another to read with the intent to explain to others. But it'll be nice. When I don't feel like working on Sorcery & Super Science! or on any of our OSR stuff, or on our Pathfinder stuff, I'll have an additional outlet.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Magnificent Greater Free Quebec is one of the newest and more technologically advanced states in the Northeast. Two years ago, the dual monarchs Clotilde Dupille and Edward Stockton settled their respective kingdoms’ differences through marriage and forged Magnificent Greater Free Quebec. Believing that both English and French should be the language of their people, they have recently declared war upon both the PRQ and the QPR, decreeing that no mutie should be persecuted for the language he speaks as long as it is English or French.

As noted above MGFQ is relatively technologically advanced and, although the ruins of Montreal are still quite dangerous and avoided, the western part of the Ile Perrot has been walled off and turned into a prosperous community considered the capital of the new state. Officially any party planning a scavenger raid into Montreal must register at Ile Perrot to pay an entry fee and to pay a tax upon recovered goods, but a thriving underground trade exists. It is rumored that the monarchs soon plan government-organized raids into the great ruined city, so if ruin raiding is your interest you’d best get in soon while the getting’s good.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Korpiklaani, a Finnish folk metal band has tremendously improved my enjoyment of the day with their song dedicated to the value of Vodka. Put a smile on my face while taking a break between work. This has nothing to do with gaming, but it's got a lot to do with awesome.

More from the upcoming ZZZ Quick Guide to North America Below the Shattered Moon. GTSL means Government, Technology, Safety, Liberty with 0 being least and 9 most. This keys the map found on the back cover of the Sorcery & Super Science! core rules.

23. The Kingdom of Lexington
Hereditary Monarchy: King Rutherford William Bomar
GTSL: 4546

The Kingdom of Lexington contains the majority of the land that was once ancient northern Kentucky. The capital of Paris has been rebuilt among the ruins of the ancient city and is well known for the wonderful bourbon produced in the city. The bourbon is a major trade good throughout the eastern part of North America and sharing a fifth of Lexington Bourbon goes a long way in helping one become an immediate friend.

Given this powerful trade good, much of the Kingdom of Lexington grows corn, rye, and barley for the mash. White oak barrels are made in large numbers upriver of Paris and floated down to the distillery. Small communities throughout the area focus on particular aspects of the bourbon making process, and feed their goods to the capital. Given the people’s experience in alcohol production, clandestine alcohol is common, but typically of a significantly lower quality.

Beyond the all-important Lexington Bourbon, scavengers will find ancient ruined Louisville a place mostly unexplored, even though claimed by Lexington to the Ohio River. The claim is a bit of hyperbole, in our opinion, and Louisville remains much like a ruin in the Badlands. Explorers should exercise considerable caution, given that members of The Order of Cybernetic Magnificence claim the ruins on the far shore over the river.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

As I said in an earlier post, M&B is on sale, but the sale will end when I wake up next Monday (the 13th). Just wanted to drop a line so those who've been holding out know time is running down. Below is the information on the sale and the links. Thanks to everyone who's bought a copy!

Just south of The Free Farmers of the South, Bama Mills is an agrarian state focusing on cotton production, both the growing of as well as the processing of. Many of the The Free Farmers send their cotton downriver to the mills of Bama Mills, keeping the twin mill settlements of Coffeeville and Lower Peachtree bustling with activity. The capital of the alliance is located about halfway between the two settlements just north of the ruins of old Grove Hill.

A surprising amount of wealth flows through Bama Mills, and their military is a sturdy one, ever ready for a conflict. Traditionally, their soldiers spend much of their time near the border with Jackson’s land, but there are rumors coming from The Magnolia Masters’ territory that’s causing a bit of a build up along that border as well.

There’s not much of interest in Bama Mills for a scavenger. Most of the ruins are small and thoroughly picked over. However, the mysterious and legendary Bunker City is supposedly located in the forested hills of the State, and the rumor continues to draw treasure seekers of all kinds.

Founded 15 years ago by Duke Tam Nguyen, the growth of The Highland Rim Duchy has been impressive. The Duke’s ability with technology is largely responsible for the restoration of both the Wilson Lake hydroelectric generator and the Wheeler Lake hydroelectric generator. The capital of Nguyenville rests upon the shores of Wilson Lake between the two dams and encompasses a power cell manufactory restored by the Duke.

It is rumored that the Duke has many technologically advanced objects and weapons for his own personal use, but we have been unable to determine if this is true. The Duke is always heavily guarded by his legendary manservant Strange Grind. Strange doesn’t let any but the most trusted visit the Duke and his 800 pounds of flying mutated gorilla muscle ensures nothing untoward occurs during these rare meetings.

Of interest to visitors are the ruins of ancient Huntsville, Forence, and Tuscaloosa. The first two of these ruins have been fairly well explored by the Duke himself, but they are far from tapped out according to our sources in The Church of Parkour. Tuscaloosa is a new addition to The Highland Rim Duchy and the Duke is currently paying well for items of interest retrieved from the ruins. Given the state of war between The Duchy and Hotlanta, any discovery of a military nature can fetch a good price.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Lets follow up the last Malevolent and Benign monster with another undead, the bone sovereign. The bone sovereign is one of my favorite monsters from the book. It's a great army-of-one creature that has a lot of horror potential in a game and may even come with its own unique magic item. The entry is long, but worth every word, IMO. The artist is Jeff Womack.

General information: Usually encountered near the ancient tombs and other fell places that spawned them, these undead creatures are driven by the need to assimilate other skeletal monsters into their own bodies, feeding off the animating enchantments that bind such creatures in undeath. Since they lack any ranged attack, bone sovereigns favor frontal assaults. Like many undead, these creatures harbor no small hatred for life, and they usually wade into melee combat with a chilling confidence. Bone sovereigns have a measure of intelligence, and though they sometimes attack large groups of lesser creatures, they usually try to avoid monsters larger or obviously more powerful than themselves.

A bone sovereign is able to command undead at will as an evil cleric of a level equal to double its hit dice. Skeletons that are commanded by a bone sovereign can be drawn towards the creature to be permanently merged into its form. Spawned skeletons are likewise assimilated by the bone sovereign as soon as their usefulness as separate beings is ended. Other types of undead can’t be merged with it, but a bone sovereign usually keeps commanded zombies, ghouls and shadows nearby for as long as possible.

When a bone sovereign comes into contact with an animated skeleton under its control, it can merge the skeleton into its form, adding the normal skeleton’s hit dice to its own. For example, a normal bone sovereign that merges with a skeleton (1 HD) becomes a 5-HD bone sovereign. The skeleton ceases to exist as a separate entity and becomes part of the bone sovereign. Merging with a skeleton takes a full round. A bone sovereign can absorb up to 16 additional hit dice in this manner.

Instead of attacking, a bone sovereign can create any number of skeletal monsters from its body in one round. Skeletons spawned by the bone sovereign are under its complete mental control. The hit dice of the spawned creatures are deducted from the bone sovereign’s hit dice and return to the sovereign when it again merges with the spawn. If a skeleton spawn is destroyed, it cannot be merged back into the bone sovereign; its hit dice are lost. Spawned skeletons are treated in all ways like standard skeletons except they can detect and attack whatever the bone sovereign can and are turned as zombies. A bone sovereign can spawn no more than half its hit dice in one round and cannot reduce its hit dice to fewer than 4 through this process. There is no limit to the number of spawned skeletons that a bone sovereign can control at once. Because spawning makes a bone sovereign weaker, it only does so when it is heavily outnumbered by lesser foes. One out of every 10 bone sovereigns possesses a thighbone flute (see new magic items).

Bone sovereigns can detect all undead within 60 feet and will be aware of their movements even if unable to physically see them. Bone sovereigns have darkvision to 60 ft. Holy water causes 2-8 hit points of damage for each vial that successfully strikes.

Turning bone sovereigns is slightly different than typical. Clerics turn a 4-HD bone sovereign as a mummy, but every two absorbed hit dice of skeletons increases the turning difficulty by one type. For example, a bone sovereign with 4 absorbed hit dice is turned as a vampire, while one that has absorbed 8 hit dice worth of skeletons is turned as a lich. Typically, if a turning attempt fails no new attempts can be made, but if a bone sovereign changes its hit dice via spawning or absorption, a new attempt can be made, as it is treated as a new creature.

Languages: Bone sovereigns speak common and their alignment tongue with a sepulcher tone.

Physical description: Bone sovereigns are terrible amalgamations of skeletons whose animating enchantments coalesce to form a single, self-aware undead entity. A bone sovereign becomes larger and more powerful, with a proportionally increased appetite for necromantic energy, as it assimilates other undead. No two bone sovereigns are identical, as each is an accumulation of the bones of many smaller skeletons. Usually they take a bipedal humanoid form, though some resemble demons, dragons, or other beasts, especially if the bones of such creatures have been collected by the monster. As a bone sovereign becomes larger and more powerful, it becomes less recognizable as any one type of creature.

Variants: Some adventurers have claimed the existence of a flesh sovereign which functions almost exactly as the bone sovereign, excepting it deals with zombies. Such is currently unproven, and most sages believe this a story told to garner more ale from the easily fooled.

Thighbone flute: The thighbone flute is an unusual item found in the possession of some bone sovereigns. In the skeletal hands of their owners, they can be blown to produce an irresistible dance effect (as the spell) once per day. In the hands of any other creature, the effects of a thighbone flute are not so powerful, but still beneficial. Once per day, the user can produce a short tune whose effect mimics the charm person spell. The possessor of a thighbone flute can only have 5 creatures charmed at a single time. Experience Point Value: 1,000 G. P. Value: 5,000.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

I've been reading a potential manuscript for our Advanced Adventures line and so far I am liking it. The set up, a small town built upon an ancient dwarven dam, is unique and the town has a nice feel to it. I haven't done any writing today, but it's been a long time since I took a day off from the creative side of the business. Kinda nice to rest the creative-brain for a day.

I've also been listening to the soundtrack from Coppala's Bram Stoker's Dracula after a friend of mine, Ari Marmell, said it was one of his go-to albums for writing music. So far I'm liking it, but some of the volume dynamics are bit too much for me, as I've found myself turning up or turning down the volume depending upon the song.

Description & Information: Common throughout the world under the shattered moon, tar-fruit trees are slow-moving, carnivorous, mutated pear trees. They earn their name from the large, sticky, tar-like fruit that hangs from their limbs. Tar-fruit trees hunt with these sticky grenades, using them to immobilize prey. An immobilized target is soon crushed under the massive weight of the tree’s trunk.

Although dangerous predators, the tar from a tar-fruit tree is a very useful substance. After soaking a tar-fruit in vinegar for a week, the tar transforms into a burnable, waterproof, pitch-like substance found on the ends of most torches. Some daring individuals have created farms of tar-fruit trees and have meet with great success. The trees are rather quiescent when well fed and watered, but harvesting the fruit is a dangerous job typically relegated to slaves.

Intrinsic Powers
• Possess senses less than human -6 on any sense conflicts. Tar-fruit trees cannot sense anything beyond 50 feet.
• Tar-fruit trees are very difficult to damage - all Health damage, except slashing, is reduced by 4 points per hit
• Tar-fruit trees can launch a volley of tar-fruit to a range of 40 feet. The attack deals no damage, but a hit target must succeed on a rank 6 Strength check or be held fast by the tar-fruit for 10 minutes. If a target is held fast, the tar-fruit tree moves over the victim, raises its trunk high and smashes down upon the struggling creature. This attack is only possible against immobile creatures and deals +15 bludgeoning damage per hit and a +4/ rank 10 combat condition. A tar-fruit tree can smash and lob a volley of tar-fruit during the same turn. A tar-fruit tree has 10 volleys of fruit per day.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

We've just put Objects Below the Shattered Moon up for sale at Your Games Now and at rpgnow.com. It contains 3 new items, 36 new sorcerous artifacts, and 5 new creatures suitable for various power levels. Several of the objects from this blog are in this $3, 7-page PDF. It will be available at Paizo and at e23 in a little bit.

I've finally figured out how to put links on the right (with pretty pictures no less) to some of the things we sell that this blog discusses. On the scale of things, this is a minor victory at best (and not really a victory at all for most people), but for someone of my programming knowledge (-25% circumstance bonus) it's worthy of a post. :)

Monday, September 6, 2010

Recently carved out of the Appalachian Deathlands, Hotlanta relies upon the military might of the state to maintain what little security and safety can be found in the still mostly-wild area. General Hood is both feared and admired by the muties that follow him, and even though his constant raids into the ruins of great and ancient Atlanta have been costly and mostly unsuccessful, the belief that Hood is divinely destined to conquer the ruins and bring a new age of peace and harmony throughout the entirety of North America keeps his men in check and thirsty for blood and plunder.

Hotlanta has recently started warring with The Highland Rim Duchy, The Free Republic of Montgomery, and The Grand Duchy of Piedmont. All three states have militaries possessing better morale and better equipment, but General Hood is convinced that right is on his side and soon both will fall to his morally superior cause and has seen some minor successes.

Of obvious interest to the traveler in this area are the ruins of Atlanta. Still mostly untouched even after successive raids, there are surely many treasures waiting to be unlocked. But be warned, much of Atlanta is claimed by members of The Holy Coterie of Delmar Louis, and the rumors of their atrocities are not to be shrugged away.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

One of the kingdoms in the center of the "civilized" lands in the southern part of North America under the shattered moon. Again, GTSL means Government, Technology, Safety, Liberty with 0 being least and 9 most. This keys the map found on the back cover.

The Delta Kingdom is a strong kingdom, surrounded by other states. Luckily for King Johnson, his feudal subjects are extremely loyal and support for each other is quick and decisive. Stretching from the southern ruins of Memphis all the way to the ruins of ancient Shreveport, The Delta Kingdom is a very fertile region. It is this fertility that provides the stability for the large military force that keeps all the neighboring states from pecking away at the kingdom.

The Delta Kingdom runs a canning factory outside ancient Greenville, and cans featuring the golden triangle symbol of The Delta Kingdom can be found throughout North America. The cans most commonly contain beans, corn, tomatoes, or pickles, but recently a tinned chicken has been introduced to great success.

Of interest to travelers is the capital of Greenville, one of the few cities under the shattered moon with running water and electricity. It’s expensive to get in, but it is, in our opinion, worth it. Additionally, the ruins of Shreveport, Monroe, and the southern outskirts of great Memphis provide some possible salvaging.

Just wanted to say thanks to The Underdark Gazette for mentioning our blog. For those who don't know, the Saturday round-up of the OSR is an indispensable stop. If you only visited one OSR blog per week, the Saturday post at The Underdark Gazette should be it, IMO. It'll even find new things for those who keep a pretty good ear to the OSR ground.

General information: Lords of the negative material plane, shadow lords are usually surrounded with a unit of lesser undead. Typically this is a troop of 2-5 shadows, but zombies, skeletons, and ghouls are not uncommon either. In combat, the shadow lord relies upon his draining aura, spells, and minions rather than melee, but can deal 2-5 points of cold damage and drain 1 point of strength per hit when reduced to physical combat. Strength lost at the touch of a shadow lord returns in 2-8 turns. Any creature brought to 0 strength by a shadow lord dies and becomes a shadow in 2-8 turns.

Shadow lords can command undead like 12th level clerics. Undead with greater than average intelligence are immune to this effect. Shadow lords turn as vampires and can cast the following spells once per day at the 16th level of ability: augury, cause critical wounds, detect magic, dispel magic, locate object, stone tell, symbol of pain.

Shadow lords carry within them the heart of the negative material plane and radiate an evil aura 20 feet in all directions. The aura has three effects upon those within it. This aura reduces any turning attempts by 2, it allows all undead to regenerate 1 hit point per round, and it deals 1 point of strength damage per round to any living creature that fails a save against paralysis. The shadow lord is affected by his own aura, meaning that turning him is done at -2 and that he regenerates 1 point per round as long as the aura is in effect. Dispel evil destroys this aura for a full 24 hours.

Languages: Shadow lords speak common and at least two other languages.

Physical description: A shadow lord appears nothing more than its name suggests: an inky, vaguely man-like patch of darkness.

General information: Fungal renders are extremely rare giant mushrooms possessing mobility and a predator’s instincts. They are typically only encountered in underground fungal forests, but have occasionally been seen on the surface. Averaging 15 feet in height, the render has ten rope-like tendrils dangling from the circumference of the it’s cap. These tendrils are covered in a sticky, sap-like substance. The fungal render attacks with these tendrils. If only one tendril hits, no damage is done, but if two or more hit the target creature takes 1-4 hit points of damage per tendril each round as the fungal render pulls its victim apart. A fungal render’s tendrils are very elastic and can stretch up to three times the render’s height. The chance of dislodging a tendril is equal to the chance of opening doors. A tendril is severed after receiving 10 hit points of damage against AC 3. Damage to a tendril does no harm to the fungal render; only attacks against its cap, trunk, or roots can slay a render.

When reduced to 10 hit points or fewer, a fungal render will throw itself upon its attackers in a devastating crush attack dealing 4-20 points of damage to any creatures underneath it. Up to 3 medium-sized creatures can be attacked in this manner. It takes a fungal render 2 rounds to right itself once after a crush attack. During this period it can only attack with 4 of its tendrils, as the others are occupied by setting itself upright.

A fungal render heals quickly, regaining 2 hit points per turn. One severed tendril can be regenerated over the same period of time. A fungal render can only detect creatures within 50 feet of its stalk via light detecting “eyes,” and it will only pursue fleeing prey for a short time (three rounds) before losing interest and returning to its favored location.

Physical description: A fungal render is a mushroom of vast magnitude with several tendrils that extend from the cap, which it uses to tear apart its food. The trunk is flexible and sways to avoid blows. Fungal renders can grow up to 20 feet tall, but most average around 15 feet. Their caps are a dark purple, their trunks and tendrils a dark red, and their lamellae a dark orange. When uprooted, twelve thick, root-like black tendrils support the lumbering mushroom. Upon its trunk are rows of argent spots, which the render uses as primitive eyes.

Friday, September 3, 2010

We've reached the final volume of the 20 books found in Advanced Adventures #15: Stonesky Delve. It's been an interesting study for me, both creatively and from a blogging standpoint. This is the first "series of" that I've ever done and I think it's worked out pretty well. I've actually even done more books as the inspiration for different ideas hit. I may continue to do more books and eventually publish something actually called The Tome of Tomes. I think I'd need at least 100 books however, even for a shortish PDF of 8k to 10k words. I think it would be a pretty good little work.

In the introduction of this work Celbarb Shasara claims to be a druid, but the inaccuracies within this tome would seem to indicate that were this the truth, she was a very poor one indeed. The book attempts to record the lunar tide’s affect upon crustaceans and mollusks, but it fails miserably in that goal. The book is only valued as a curiosity and some renowned libraries have banned it lest any think some real knowledge was contained between its covers.

Arthur Braune sent me this message on Facebook today: "Sometimes those cast off and torn up Snuggies don't go so easily and come back as pissed off spirits looking to harm the living..."

And well, that idea is both funny and terrifying so I had to take his comment and run. I figured what better revenge for a creature born of loss than to reciprocate it? So thanks for the idea Arthur and I hope you like the below creature. :)

Description & Information: In a world where almost everything has been discarded, Snugglies embody the anger of the left behind. It is a whirlwind of debris. But at the heart of every snugglie is a shredded item that once was extremely beloved. Most often, it is a shredded Snuggie.

Intrinsic Powers
• Reduce all Health damage by 6 points per hit.
• Attacking the heart of a snugglie is done at -4, but a snugglie has no damage resistance when hit in its heart.
• Snugglies attack with their swirling debris, dealing +6 damage and +4/ rank 4 combat condition. The type of damage (piercing, bludgeoning, or slashing) should be randomly determined for each hit.

Limited Use Powers
• Self Manifest (1 per year): Snugglies can make themselves flesh for one day per year.
• Add to the Fury (4 per day): Instead of dealing damage with a hit, a snugglie may choose to add to the collection of items of which it is made. Unless the target succeeds at a rank 10 Strength conflict, whatever it is currently holding in his hands becomes part of the snugglie. This breaks the item permanently, rendering it useless.

The standard work of masonry, Stonework, is a seminal work featuring over 100 illustrations of different patterns of stonework. Each pattern is discussed in detail, focusing on the pros and cons of the work. A quintessential dwarven work, the meaning of each pattern to the dwarfish people is discussed as well - what patterns are appropriate for a feast hall and what patterns belong only at holy sites. Much insight into dwarven society can be gleaned from this terse and illustrative text.

One of the odd things about me is that I'm not a big fan of one-shot rpg gaming. I really like the process of world-exploration and character development and camaraderie that's pretty much absent in one shots. That said, I've seen a lot of one shots run and I realized that there's another main reason why I prefer campaign play.

One of the most fun things for me when rpging is failure.

Most one shots, especially those of modern systems, are designed cinematographically with a narrative in mind. The influence of the visual arts upon modern rpging is very heavy and when people role-play game in one-shots they tend to view themselves as if they were part of a TV show or a movie or a comic, IMO. Even the design terminology reflects the visual influence, with scenes being crafted by the designer. In movies or tv shows or comics there's not really a chance of failure. The protagonist will win, typically after 2 or more minor setbacks and 1 serious setback. One-shots are usually designed with the same narrative immunity that protagonists have in a TV show or a movie. Things might get hairy for a while, but everyone will get out alive.

I like death and failure. I don't like when they happen (normally), but I like that they're a real possibility. It makes the game more fun for me. When gaming, I don't have much interest in finding out how we win - I want to find out if we win

Humorously enough, I don't like TV shows, movies, or comics where the heroes die. They're usually chock full of banal philosophical issues and people just being dicks to each other because they're stupid, hateful, and weak. I have no interest in drama anymore.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

And here we have another state description from the upcoming ZZZ Quick Guide to North America. GTSL means Government, Technology, Safety, Liberty with 0 being least and 9 most. This keys the map found on the back cover.

The weakest and wildest of the Ohio Confederacy states, the North Ohio Nation constantly struggles against incursions of Midwestern Badlanders. After the sacking and burning of the old capital, a new capital was founded on Kellys Island under the rulership of Queen Gisela Harbach. The decision has proven wise as much of the North Ohio Nation is facing a terrible crisis of lawlessness and banditry, but the capital remains secure.

Harbach is desperately trying to rally support from the other Confederated States, but is having no luck given the great threat of the Pittsburghers. The other states have tacitly written off the North Ohio Nation and there are even rumors that The Grand Duchy of Coshocton is behind some of the Badlander’s raiding with eyes upon annexing the North Ohio Nation into the Grand Duchy if Harbach dies.

Visitors in this area should expect a frosty reception, at best, but if you can prove yourself honest and helpful, there’s a great deal of friendship to be gained. Our writers have done their best to help the small communities and have always been treated very well. That said, it’s rumored that members of The Firemen have been seen in the area and that is never a good sign.